Shadows of the Mont'ka I
by GreaterGoodIreland
Summary: The Tau seek the secrets of Chaos, sending a secret army to discover all that can be used to defend their human subjects from its evil. An Inquisitor seeks to discover the xenos' motives for acting in Imperial space, fearing their knowledge might strengthen their hand. A repost from 40k Online.
1. Chapter 1: Report

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD: This is a reproduction of my first ever fanfic, as originally posted on the 40k Online site. It has a sequel that will go up soon too.  
_

 _My writing has improved immensely since this early attempt, or at least I hope so. They aren't kidding when they say 'practice makes perfect', but it really helps to have an audience large enough to provide criticisms, which both Outlander and Battlefield 2183 have given me. Didn't have anything like that back in 2010, to say the least.  
_

 _As much as I'd like to edit it, I don't have time, but I thought some of my readers might appreciate a look at it. For everyone who hasn't read some of my other stuff, this one's on the house._

* * *

 _Ordo Xenos Transmission_  
 _Astropath ref21004979541_

 _Author: Inquisitor Ferenz Talan_

 _Destination: All Ultima Segmentum Inquisitorial Reference Collectives,_  
 _All Planetary Adeptus Administratum Governors; Ultima Segmentum,_  
 _Adeptus Mechanicus, Mars,_  
 _Adeptus Astartes Chapters Ultramarines, Blood Ravens,_  
 _All Adepta Sororitas Orders Militant, Orphelia VII._

* * *

 **Subject: Tau incursion mystery solved, request for troops**

 _Recent incursions by Tau forces of unknown affiliation deep into Imperial territory have been the subject of much concern in the Eastern Fringe since the end of the Damocles Gulf Crusade. Forces aligned not only to the Tau Empire itself, but the Farsight Enclaves and Tau mercenaries, seem to be able to enter Imperial space and land on Imperial worlds at ease. This has allowed not only the so-called "Water Caste" to operate freely on several Imperial worlds, but full military operations by the "Fire Caste" to become increasingly numerous._

 _Particularly interesting attacks have come over the past three years, the most relevent of which I shall describe in detail, thanks to a patchwork of various sources._

 _The first occurred deep into Imperial territory, in the Kilarnus system, the events of which you may be aware of._  
 _A remaining splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Kraken of relatively insignificant size had been detected early thanks to a merchant ship encounter and the usual signs of the menace. However, the world was only defended by its PDF due to being behind several heavily defended worlds, and looked to fall easily. Reinforcements were of course requested, but unlikely to arrive before the world was stripped barren and the splinter fleet turned into a much more serious problem._

 _As the splinter fleet entered the edges of the system, an entire Tau fleet and a small Eldar cruiser entered the system within a short space of time. The Tau fleet, some ships of which had never before been observed by the Imperium and all jet black, soon engaged the Eldar over the moon of Kilarnus V. The conflict was short lived due to the Eldar engines being knocked out early. The Tau and the Eldar soon descended upon the moon together as the splinter fleet began to drop its spores on Kilarnus III, the main inhabited planetary body in the system._

 _While the Kilarnian PDF fought valiantly for control of their capital, the Tau and Eldar suddenly retreated to the orbit of the furthest planet. The reason for this is that they had awoken a Necron Tomb on the moon of Kilarnus V. Sources conflict as to whether this was deliberate (Imperial sources suggest that it wasn't, secondary sources from the Tau suggest that it was). Regardless, the Necrons descended upon Kilarnus III just as the PDF had stabilised a defence line against the Tyranid threat. The PDF was quickly overwhelmed, caught between wave after wave of gaunts and phalanxes of Necron warriors. We do not have any information on the battles between the Tyranids and the Necrons, only that by the time the Imperial strike force arrived, the tomb on the moon of Kilarnus V had been thoroughly destroyed, and the corpses of the major control Tyranids were missing. Wounds on gaunt corpses and blast marks on Necron tomb spiders suggested heavily that Tau pulse fire had been responsible, though not a single Tau corpse was found. The world was still heavily infested with smaller Tyranids and genestealers however, and was purged by Exterminatus on my authority after the few survivors were rescued and quarantined. It seems likely the majority of the Necrons were destroyed by the Tyranids, with the Tau mopping up the survivors._

 _While all this is a cause for concern, particularly the very notion of collusion between the deceitful Eldar and the Tau (which is henceforth considered highly classified), the real issue is of the following question: Why were the Tau there in the first place? The answer to this question comes into focus in the second incident report._

 _The second incursion of note occurred within Tau space, and is only known to us due to extensive interrogations of Rogue Traders operating in Tau space. The veracity of this information seems to be solid, due to the consistency of facts gleaned on the incident, and the confirmation of these facts in the third incident._

 _As you should be aware, the number of humans residing under the Tau Empire's rule is considerable. An unfortunate fact of repeated Tau expansions and repeated failures on the part of Imperial forces to retake all of the worlds conquered. Imperial forces have even begun to face these traitors on the battlefield, though their numbers and the amount of STC machinery they possess are still modest. The Tau have also seemed to have considerable success in avoiding problems the Imperium faces with regard to the forces of Chaos affecting humans. However, it is clear now that they have also had a few considerable failures._

 _According to at least seven Rogue Traders who operated in distinct areas of Tau space, a group of humans under the protection of the Tau Empire had fallen to Chaos. Which "sept" they belonged to is unknown (the majority of the traders say Dal'yth). The heretics managed to keep their dark rites a secret from their Tau overlords for two years, gathering supporters from within the human population and generally keeping their heads down. Why the Tau were unable to catch these people is clearly rooted in the inability of the Tau to be swayed by the powers of Chaos (to which some conclude that the Tau have no souls). Clearly this is an advantage to the Tau directly, but a distinct disadvantage if the Tau are to continue to usurp Imperial worlds. It seems the Tau realised this before the incident in question, as I shall explain._

 _The heretics soon formed the Cult of the Bloody Hand, dedicated to Khorne, and began human sacrifices. Tau alarm bells were immediately tripped when inventories of the population by the Earth caste came up light. Investigating Water caste members also went missing, and the Kroot were drafted in to guard the human settlements. The Cult of the Bloody Hand went on undisturbed however, building greater and greater favour with the Dark Gods. By the time a sweep of the human settlements by Fire Warriors was ordered, a mass human sacrifice had already taken place. The Fire Warriors sweeping the streets were attacked by Chaos Space Marines, summoned from a portal in a desecrated cathedral to the Emperor. Again, reports vary as to what legion of Chaos the cult had summoned, most sources state it was the Alpha Legion._

 _Regardless, the Fire Warriors sweeping the streets and the Kroot guarding the outskirts were soon slaughtered by a great host of beserkers in blood red armour, and only a quick response by the Fire Caste stopped the Khorne zealots from entering other significant residential areas. These were evacuated quickly before a second assault broke the lines. The Traitor legions were soon joined by minor daemons spawned from the warp, and a whole host of walker vehicles. The attack had seized a two hundred square kilometre area in a week by the time the next phase of the incident occurred._

 _On the 8th day of the Chaotic attack, a Tau fleet, ships all jet black as during the Kilarnus Incident, dropped into orbit and command of all Fire Caste forces in theatre was ceded to the Commander and Ethereal of the fleet. One of the reports suggest that they were the same person, which while an interesting report, seems highly unlikely given the rigid caste structure of Tau society. It seems the majority of Tau find the arrival of this fleet to be highly irregular as well, as no sept operates a fleet of jet black ships and the military command structure is not flexible, making the sudden change in commander a strange event. Reporting of the event was also "suppressed for the Greater Good", though persistant rumours fly around to this day (to our benefit)._

 _The black-clad Tau descended directly on the portal cathedral with many of their battlesuits, and destroyed it, closing the gate to the warp. The next three weeks were spent annihilating the stranded Chaos forces, sector by sector. Apparently, only the black-clad Tau were permitted to aggressively pursue the remaining Traitor marines, all other Tau forces were made to hold a wide perimeter and saw little action once the portal had been destroyed. By the time they were allowed to clear the area, all Chaos artefacts had "disappeared" along with the forces that had defeated the zealots. The incident now has an almost mythical status in Tau society, despite best efforts to suppress it._

 _The Tau clad in black who descended to destroy Chaos are generally known as "The Shadows of the Mont'ka" due to their black uniforms and equipment, as well as the tactics they use. The Bloody Hand incident seems to indicate that the "Shadows" operate somewhat like the combined orders of the Inquisition does, though the parallel is not perfect. These Tau do not possess the absolute powers that we who bear the seals do, and we do not engage in the sort of forward incursions on the regular basis that these forces seem to._

 _The third incident happened very recently on the Fringe border world of Parmenio X._  
 _Like the Bloody Hand incident, a large cult movement had summoned Chaos to the world. Cadian Imperial Guard regiments were on hand to help beat back the heretics, but were unable to defeat them. Bloody fighting continued for weeks until once again, the black Tau fleet dropped into orbit stealthily, and delivered several cadres opposite the focal point of Chaos on the planet. Crossing a large valley soaked in the blood of Imperial citizens, they destroyed the base of the traitors in the system and disappeared with many foul artefacts. The only image in Imperial possession of the ground forces of this force is attached, showing the commander of the force in the midst of battle (though it is of poor quality to say the least)._

 _I suspect that these Shadows are a specialised force to deal with Chaos and other dark powers in the galaxy, most likely to counteract the threat to their growing human population. It would explain their seclusion from the rest of the Tau military, and their consistent appearances where Chaos and the Necron are present._

 _These three incidents require the utmost attention of the Imperium, lest the method by which these "Shadows" move into Imperial space becomes more widespread amongst the Tau military. I immediately request Adeptus Astartes and Adepta Sororitas Combat teams at Parmenion IX's space station so that an attempt to capture these dangerous xenos can be attempted. As such, all planetary governors in the Segmentum are to be prepared should necessity require them to assist._

 **Inquisitor Ferenz Talan**


	2. Chapter 2

Inquisitor Ferenz Talan brooded as he prodded the food in front of him with his knife. His surroundings would have normally improved his mood, as the luxurious furnishings of a naval captain's state room and the presumably delicious food presented to him not five minutes earlier. Had this been the usual situation with similar company, he would have indulged himself to the fullest extent possible.

His philosophy on life consisted only of two parts, duty and pleasure. Life was too short to ignore either of them. Now, he feared that both tenets would be increasingly hard to fulfill over the course of the coming weeks. The reason for his growing discomfort was the company around the ornate table in front of him.

At the head of the table, inevitably, sat the Captain. An old and rather fat man by the name of Pelton, he had once triumphed in a great space battle and received considerable acclaim. The details of which Talan did not really care for, as it seems the rest of the man's career had been relatively uneventful. The man's most positive trait was that he was quiet, and intervened in conversation only when he had an absolute opinion on something. Furthermore, he did as Talan said without much hesitation, including moving a particularly perverted officer from the room next to his immediately. While that was generally the norm for requests from Talan, there was none of the negativity due to being ordered around that usually came with it.

To the left of the Captain, Inquisitor Alanis White sat, chewing steadily at a rather large piece of steak. He was a thin and tall man, with greying hair and a sneering face that didn't exactly compliment him. Talan didn't particularly like White, and found him to be suspect in every way. White was a member of the Ordo Hereticus, and seemed to enjoy his work a little too much. Talan, being a member of the Ordo Xenos, naturally found his job to be somewhat distasteful, but also acknowledged that dealing with aliens gives one a lot more flexibility than dealing with heretics and cultists. Regardless of his feelings, Talan knew that White's presence was a necessary for the coming operation. The Tau were firmly within the jurisdiction of Talan's area of expertise, but the creatures they took such a keen interest in were most definitely not. White's knowledge of cults and heretics was invaluable. Lastly, he was far from alone.

Beside White, Canoness Birgitta Siena was reposed in her chair, ignoring her food as well. She was as tall as White was, with dyed white hair far too early for a woman of her years and a reasonably attractive face. She had donned the usual dress of the Adepta Sororitas outside of battle, in the form of an Ecclesiarchy robe. She was commander of the battlegroup sent by the Order of the Blooded Rose from Orphelia VII, on Talan's request. Her troops had arrived swiftly, but brought White along to command them. Talan's reputation with the religious hierarchy of the Imperium was not the best, though they could not act against him. She seemed the typical product of the Sororitas; devout, chaste and extremely naive. Like White, she irritated Talan to no end. However, her powers of command were not to be discounted, and she was well known for several successful heretic hunts on industrial and hive worlds. Talan was not the only one to be irritated by her, however.

Directly opposite the Canoness, to the right of the Captain, sat the saving grace of the whole event in Talan's mind. Colonel Artemis Mieza, commander of the 16th Berdam Armoured Regiment. She was relatively new to the command, having only served on two assignments before this one. She was an attractive woman (in Talan's eyes at least). Dressed in her uniform, possessing nicely tanned skin, a shapely body and long black hair, Talan found her interesting from the get-go. She was from Berdam, immediately removing any idea that she was somehow an inferior commander, ideas that seemed to hang around particularly egotistical men of power in the Imperium about most women.

Berdam is a system notorious for its wild festivals and its music, so much so that every Berdamian vehicle had large loudspeakers bolted to them, which played whatever form of music was most popular among the people driving it. All Berdamian military units were mixed sex as well, harking back to a time when there were so many male deaths in the system, the women had to fight as well. This egalitarian and bohemian ideal placed Mieza directly in the path of the Canoness' ideals, and as such, they seemed to despise each other.

One particular person was conspicuous in his absence, however. Librarian Stavan, who was commanding the Blood Ravens' detachment, had opted out of the dinner event, without stating his reasons. Talan liked Stavan, having talked to him on many occasions over the course of the three week period of waiting for reinforcements on Parmenion IX's defence station. Aside from his annoying habit of inserting riddles into his dialogue, Talan found him to be a very entertaining person to be around. He didn't act like the quiet pious soldier that many Space Marines were. Stavan was also discreet about any discussions that Talan might have with him, a very useful trait to say the least.

Talan sat opposite the Captain, as they both watched the conversation taking place before them. The subject of the talk was on the operation ahead.

"The heretics must be destroyed immediately, or as soon as we can destroy them, once we are on the planet!" the Canoness said in a raised voice, shifting her weight in her chair. Talan rolled his eyes, at which the Captain cocked his head to the side slightly.

"I was under the impression our job was to capture a Tau force, not purge our only bait," Mieza responded calmly, "If you know about another cult that is so conveniently bordering Tau space, kindly tell me."

"The Tau will surely come anyway, and when they do come, we will purge them as well," continued Siena, "It does not matter that we will eliminate the heretics first."

"The Tau are not blind, they have reliable means of receiving information about these cults," Talan interrupted, "They aren't stupid either, if we purge the uprising as quickly as you suggest, then they may get wind of it before they arrive and then simply not show up."

"Are you suggesting we leave Imperial citizens to the daemon spawn?" White cut-in, still chewing steak.

"That sounded awfully like an accusation," Talan responded, grinning grimly, "Of course I am not suggesting we leave the planet entirely without aid, only that we employ a strategy that doesn't destroy the heretics before the Tau decide to intervene."

"And preferably one that leaves us with enough strength so we can grab us a few of them as well," Mieza added, looking at Talan for agreement, which was given by a nod.

The argument continued along the same lines for several minutes.

"We are only a few hours from Hephaestion now, and you still haven't agreed upon a strategem," the Captain started, "I suggest you hurry."  
Talan shared the Captain's concerns, the will of the Hereticus personnel versus the needs of the mission was a battle becoming quite tiresome..

"If I might make a suggestion."  
The Blood Ravens Librarian entered the room from the door behind the Captain, and took a seat beside Colonel Mieza.  
He was clad in a robe himself, covering the majority of his genetically enhanced muscles, but not quite hiding them.  
Everyone agreed to hear his idea almost at once, which caused another grin to appear on Talan's face.

"We land the Imperial Guard and my Blood Ravens to bolster the lines of the Hephaestion PDF, and allow the Sororitas to conduct offensive operations against the heretics until the Tau arrive," Stavan explained quietly, "When the Tau arrive to conduct their business, we allow them to land and then launch a full offensive."

The room went silent, each party thinking upon the plan.  
"That is satisfactory," said the Canoness, breaking the silence.  
"It is far from perfect, but it will work," agreed Mieza, a look on her face indicated that she wasn't pleased to be agreeing with the Sororita.

"I must attend to my duties, now that we have agreed a solution," White said, rising from his chair and taking a quick last bite of steak, "I will see you when we drop out of the warp." He glanced in Talan's direction before leaving the room.  
"I'm afraid I must go also," the Captain said, before drinking from his goblet a last time, "Feel free to finish your meals."

"We shall," Talan said, finally starting to eat his own steak.  
Conversation then turned to less relevent matters, such as the movements of Tyranid splinter fleets in the sector, and small talk on the subject of what each person had been doing prior to the mission at hand. Of course, half of the talk from most people present were half-truths and lies.

Eventually, the plates were clean and the goblets were empty, and all parties decided to go to bed, one way or another..

* * *

Talan woke up several hours later to the sound of alarms ringing violently in his ears.  
He sat up in bed, massaging his temples, an amasec-produced headache penetrating his head. At least the night before hadn't been a complete loss.  
Mieza stirred in the bed beside him, half awake, and mumbled something in her homeworld's dialect of Gothic.

"Duty and Pleasure," he muttered to himself, as he got out of bed to get dressed.  
He thought about his asset-building, as he put on his clothing and carapace armour.  
Artemis finally woke up properly.

"Ferenz, what's going on?" she asked, suddenly aware of the alarm.  
He winced at her using his first name, but was strangely comfortable with it at the same time.  
"I don't know, but we better present ourselves in the transport hold quickly," Talan replied, slipping on his boots.  
Artemis began to get dressed as Talan admired her back as he strapped his bolt pistol to his waist, but quickly snapped out of it when a banging on the door erupted.

Talan waited until the Colonel was decent, and then went to the door.  
Stavan stood there in full power armour, looking slightly amused, but not that anyone who didn't know him could notice it.  
The psyker clearly had picked up on the irritation on the other side of the door.  
He quickly snapped out of it, however.

"We dropped out of the warp a few minutes ago, the Tau were already in orbit," he explained quickly, glancing into the room.  
Mieza soon appeared beside the two men.  
"Then I need to get to my troops," she said, taking Talan's hand briefly before rushing off.

The Inquisitor and the Librarian stood silent for a second, and then proceeded to their own transport hold.  
"I see you're up to your tricks," Stavan stated as they paced towards a staircase, the corridor bathed in red light and frequented by naval personnel running to their stations.

"I am a member of the Holy Inquisition," Talan replied bluntly, "I need allies everywhere."  
"And yet.." Stavan started.  
"Don't," Talan interrupted quickly, "We have more pressing matters."  
"Quite," the Librarian said after a pause, "The Tau were within range to fire upon us when we dropped back into real space, and could have caused a great amount of damage, but are retreating to the other side of the moon."

The pair reached the bottom of the staircase, and proceeded down a much more wide corridor.

"Strength?" Talan asked.  
"They could almost certainly destroy us in space, but it would likely cost them heavily," the Librarian responded, "Their strength on the ground is unknown."  
"We need to get down to the planet now then," the Inquisitor said loudly.

They finally made it to the aft transport bay, where the Sororitas battlegroup was readying for deployment.  
Stavan's Blood Ravens were already in a shuttle, and he quickly joined them.

Talan approached the Canoness, now wearing full power armour.  
"I presume you are ready for combat?" Talan asked, retrieving a melta gun from the rack.  
"As the Emperor wills," replied Siena, much to the Inquisitor's discontent.

"We're ready or we're dead," said White, arriving with his entourage.  
A sentiment Talan agreed with entirely.

* * *

 _The Hephaestion PDF sargeant stared at the situation in front of him. His unit had held off the cultists in the capital, Batana, for a day now, but they kept coming in their droves. Now, another wave was incoming. Lasbolt fire immediately started from the three platoons around him, as the cultists charged, overwhelmed by fanaticism. The troopers felled many of them, but this wave was twice the size of anything that had previously attacked. The maddened heretics fell upon the PDF lines, and the street turned into a bloodbath._

 _A great hulking man, daubed in red painted stars, approached the sergeant with a chainsword._  
 _Terror struck, as the man started into a run, but before he could swing his blades, a loud noise followed by a hiss rang out into the evening air._  
 _On top of the buildings around them, strange alien Dreadnoughts hovered. The two groups of humans were stunned, as the alien weapons leveled to fire._  
 _Missiles streamed down onto the pavement, while white hot plasma ignited both heretics and troopers._


	3. Chapter 3

_The alien is not intrinsically evil._  
 _Do not hate him. Pity him his ignorance._  
 _Seek to understand his differences_  
 _And acquaint him with his inadequacies._  
 _Only then will he accept his place_  
 _in the Greater Good._

* * *

Mesme sat legs crossed in her room, tucked away in the aft of the ship. Slowly eating her relatively simple meal, she enjoyed every minute of it as she had learned to do in these dangerous and unpredictable situations. The room itself was large, large enough for several people to live in, but it had been allocated to her out of rank, so she accepted it. Instead of people, the room was filled with machinery of varying purposes. In front of her, the tactical situation floated, projected from a holo-drone that was humming near the ceiling. On tables arranged along the walls, the tools of her trade laid in rest. Sighting equipment, blacksun filters, pulse carbines, deactivated drones, and even a rail rifle were among the clutter around the edges of the space. On the walls, itineraries were placed in a seemingly chaotic fashion, though Mesme never had any trouble finding what she needed.

Despite enjoying her meal, her mood was only picking up from what would be described as increasing depression. She had entered the time in her life that was traditionally one for childbirth and mating. However, the circumstances of her own birth meant that the assignment of a mate was troublesome for the authorities of these matters.

Mesme means "combination" in the Tau language. Born to a Fire Caste female and a high ranking Ethereal male, her destiny was never going to be along the same lines tread by so many other Tau. Her lineage was a secret of the Empire, as was her work. Luckily, the most obvious physical characteristics of the Ethereal Caste are inherited via the maternal line, so the vast majority of her peers had no suspicions of caste mixing.

Who her partner would be bothered her for these reasons. Of course, given her rank, she could most likely choose her own partner should she wish it, but she was hesitant to do so. She served the Tau'va nonetheless, her problems irrelevent before the immediate demands of the Greater Good.

As she continued to eat, her comms piece buzzed with static for a second, before a voice erupted from the earpiece.

"The Imperials have arrived, Tau'fann," said the voice of an Kor'ui, speaking from space.  
"Very well," she replied, continuing to eat despite the task of talking at the same time, "Move the fleet away from their jump zones and behind the moon of the primary target planet. Alert our ground and space forces to start combat operations."  
"Yes, Shas'O," came the reply.

Mesme was commander of the Coalition of the Shadows, the Serra'shan'al.  
Her full name was Shas'O Tau'n Len'ra Mesme'or'es, literally meaning "Cautious Warrior of the Powerful Combination".

The youngest Shas'O in Tau history, she was destined to never appear in any Tau history lesson, por'hui media report or public record, though Imperial records of her exploits would be poured over by Inquisitors and Warmasters for centuries to come. Where there were rumours of Tau influence spreading deep within the Imperium, her name would inevitably be mentioned in company aware of her existence. Commanding the Tau Empire's covert military units, assembled to conduct deep cover and commando raids, she was the leader of an army of ghosts.

Today, she continued a mission of great importance to the Empire, beyond the considerable significance that might usually be attributed to her unit.  
She finished her breakfast quickly, and dressed herself in her jumpsuit. Strapping her pulse pistol to her waist as she left the room, Mesme inhaled deeply before setting off at a strong pace towards the launch bays. The second stage of the plan had begun.


	4. Chapter 4

_No expansion without equilibrium._  
 _No conquest without control._  
 _Pursue success in serenity._  
 _And service to the tau'va._

* * *

Mesme was clearing her mind for the battle to come. She had long resigned herself to death on the battlefield, wishing with all her heart to avoid the fate of Puretide. Becoming a hermit after her usefulness had disappeared did not appeal. The acceptance of her inevitable death gave her a serenity in battle that few could match. Despite Mesme's lack of respect for the end to which Puretide came, her battlefield strategy was regarded by the Aun as the closest to the great general's since the two separate schools of Tau military thought had been created. However, this was not because Mesme was a devoted student of the historical master of Tau strategy, but instead because she preferred to act outside orthadoxy. The paths of Kauyon and Mont'ka seemed far too rigid for her liking.

"Geneprint acknowledged, welcome Shas'O Tau'n Mesme," the computer chimed cheerfully, as Mesme activated her battlesuit systems. She allowed the faceplate to drift into position comfortably, and awaited the diagnostics report.

"All systems optimal, full ammunition load," the computer continued.  
The drones circling the hold of the dropship beside her repeated similar sentiments, and Mesme smiled, ready for the fight.

"Kor'vre, how many Rai'kor to the target?" she asked.  
"Two," replied the pilot in an almost amused tone, as the drop warning lights began to flash, "Prepare for high altitude drop."

Mesme then switched channels to the strategic network.  
Things were not going well. The force she had sent to block reinforcements from accessing the target area had held, until elite Imperial forces had arrived on the scene and caused serious casualties. Fanatical gue'la females in power armour tend to do that when they show up unannounced, even to us, she thought to herself as the deck began to split.

"Umbilical separating," Mesme said, and was soon hurtling towards the ground, drones not far behind.  
She had always loved this part of her duty, the thrill of the drop. However, it ended quickly, as she activated her suit's engine pods and began to slow her descent. Meanwhile, she listened in on the battle raging below her.

"Shas'el, we are going to be overrun!" shouted a Fire Warrior squad commander to Mesme's lieutenant, "The gue'la are insane!"  
The comms band was then suddenly filled with the unmistakeable sound of bolter fire. Mesme immediately redirected her descent towards the source of the transmission.

"Blade Squad, do you read?" the Shas'el said, a hint of desperation in his voice, "Report!"  
Silence reigned for several seconds. "I am alone!" said a voice, finally responding, "They are everywhere and I am alone!"

Mesme was approaching the ground fast, and a final burst of power from her engines put her at the correct speed.  
She could already see that the trooper was right. "They" were everywhere.

The next few seconds seemed like eons.

"We are never alone," Mesme stated, as her battlesuit landed with a thud amongst the Sisters of the Blooded Rose.  
Their astonishment was shortlived, as the Shas'O put her weapons to use, bathing the nearest Sororitas squad in plasma and fusion fire. The remains of the squad refused to retreat, and their boltguns turned on the battlesuit, but they could do nothing to the iridium armour or the shielding protecting it. Mesme's drones arrived, and drowned the aggressors in pulsefire from above as she repositioned behind a building with a quick burst of power from her jets.


	5. Chapter 5

Inquisitor Ferenz Talan walked down the street at a brisk pace, inquisitorial seal swinging at his neck, with the Berdamian squad and Librarian in tow. The buildings were a shambles, either having their windows broken in by looters and small arms fire, or smashed up by barrages of bigger weapons. The street was suitably littered with bricks, glass and rubble, and every now and then, Talan would have to use his melta to clear a path. Beside him, Stavan walked with far more ease. Luckily, he wasn't the only one stumbling over the bricks, as the rest of the Berdamian squad picked their way through the detrius in their grey and blue urban uniforms.

The squad leader was named Rala, a typical name on Berdam III apparently. She wasn't a particularly attractive woman, but she handled herself well.

Beside her as she walked, the unfortunate radioman had a large crimson flag, emblazoned with the Imperial eagle surrounded by a cogwheel and grain in the top corner, attached to his radio mast. Talan found the Berdamians increasingly strange the more he associated with them, but knew better than to complain that the flag increased their visibility. Tau sensory equipment made such considerations meaningless.

Stavan signalled for the squad to stop. Everyone in the group dropped onto one knee and went dead silent.  
"Do you hear that?" he asked the Inquisitor quietly.  
Talan strained his ears, but heard nothing.

He was about to remark on it, when a screeching started all around them. Talan recognised it immediately.  
The Kroot had surrounded them. Appearing on the rooftops and the alleyways, the humans were outnumbered at least 3 to 1.  
"Run! We're only a kilometre from my brothers!" shouted Stavan, beginning to shoot as he followed his own order. The rest of the entourage followed suit, as the Kroot began to jump off the rooftops.

A shaper landed in front of the group, and raised a pulse carbine, but was pushed aside violently by a psychic blast from the Blood Raven, as Talan ended the lives of its brethren with a sweep of his melta. He couldn't help saying "BBQ" in his head when the smell of cooked flesh met his nostrils, but kept moving nonetheless. The Guardsmen were less fortunate. A kroot had landed beside Rala, and swung the blade on his rifle straight through her chin and mouth into her brain. The radio operator shot it on rapid fire as the blood erupted from his squad leader's head, before being confronted with three more of the aliens with an empty magazine in his lasgun.

Talan tripped, not paying attention to the ground as he swept another two kroot into the fire of his melta. Another shaper was quickly on him, and Talan struggled to get his mace to smash the xenos in the head. The Kroot was also reached for a knife to open up Talan's throat. Just as both of them reached for their weapons, a power armoured boot smashed into the shaper's head, pushing it a good ten feet. Stavan finished off the victim of his kick with a burst from his bolt pistol, and helped Talan up.

Unfortunately, the Kroot had closed the distance, and with half the Guardsmen down, they were now utterly without escape.  
The clicking and screeching from their enemies was deafening.

"Hold your ground," Stavan said, "No surrender."  
Talan pulled his mace from his belt, preparing for the inevitable assault, while the Guardsmen reloaded quickly.  
The group began firing, and the Kroot rushed to engage. Lasbolts felled a few Kroot before they spun their massive rifleblades into the bellies and heads of the unfortunate Berdamians. As this was happening, Talan downed one of them with a dull thud as the mace connected to the side of the thing's head, while Stavan shrugged more than three off with a swing of his staff, using his abilities to push them away yet again. It was not enough however, as the squad was now dwindling to nothing. Talan soon found his melta ripped off him before he could respond, and almost received a riflebutt to the face to add insult to injury.

Suddenly, a pair of battlesuits appeared overhead, and the Kroot retreated quickly. Fusion weapons leveled in the direction of the Blood Raven. To say he was incinerated would be an understatement. The Inquisitor was now alone. The battlesuits landed.

Talan prepared for the Kroot to move in again.  
A Shaper stepped forward.

"Inquisitor, as you can see, you are outnumbered," it said in the strange clicking accent of the Kroot, "We urge you to lay down your arms."

Talan was confused by this, and became more perplexed when he realised that the battlesuits could have easily destroyed him along with Stavan.  
He concluded that the Tau must need or want him alive for Emperor knows what reason.

"Very well," said the Inquisitor, dropping his mace to the ground, "Take me to your commander."  
"Consider yourself a prisoner of the Tau Empire," replied the Shaper, picking up the mace as two Kroot put Talan in cuffs.


	6. Chapter 6

_Extract from "The Gulf Wars Vol 2: Imperial Clashes on the Tau Border"_

 _As the engagements on the surface of Hephaestion continued, Imperial forces were both rewarded and punished in their efforts._  
 _The Imperial Guard held out bravely against the followers of the Ruinous Powers, with the armoured might of the 16th Berdamian Armoured Regiment proving more than a match for the cultists and heretics who sought to drag the entire subsector under their sway. Colonel Mieza, more than aware of this fact, had wisely opted for a strategy of a controlled offensive, retreating after inflicting casualties and then waiting for enemy reinforcements to arrive before repeating the process. Indeed, many thousands of heretics would die by the end of the incident._

 _In stark contrast, the holy maidens of the Adepta Sororitas had walked into a slaughter. Their offensive against the heretic positions in the capital city ran immediately into a Tau cadre, which they forced back a kilometre, until the intervention of the Tau force commander directly. The shadowy Fire Caste leader, designated Case M by the Inquisition ever since, dropped straight into combat and the Sororitas fell into complete disarray. A counterattack by the remaining troops of the cadre that had previously retreated caused massive casualties, while Canoness Siena died a noble death at the hands of the highly advanced technosorcery available to the xenos._

 _To add insult to injury, an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos was captured. The Imperial Guard, under Inquisitional order, were forced into a full offensive against the Tau in order to retrieve the imprisoned servant of the Emperor, and were soon to achieve just that with minimal casualties..."_

Note: All superior Tau commanders are given a case designation when being referred to in incident reports, the fact that the commander of the Serra'shan'al was given one is not noteworthy. However, how the author of this extract gathered that information would be of extreme interest to the Inquisition.  
 ** _Inquisitor Ferenz Talan_**

* * *

 _War is full of false alarms,_  
 _hesitate we must not,_  
 _for strength of arms alone,_  
 _secures the Greater Good._

Mesme landed outside her lieutenant's command post, and exited her battlesuit. Her drones immediately went into guard mode, spreading out in a wider formation as the battlesuit closed itself. Fixing the braid in her hair, she proceeded inside the building in front of her.

The small warehouse was a hive of activity, with mobile monitors and communication drones everywhere. Fire Warriors punctuated the stations where Earth Caste scientists and coordinators laboured feverishly. As she reached the centre of the space, her lieutenant approached. El'Ka was a good decade and a half older than Mesme. He also stood a full foot taller than his superior officer, and was well known as a man of unusual height. He was an excellent defensive commander, which balanced Mesme's own preference for offensive action. His recruitment into the Serra'shan'al was a recent development, which gave him a great knowledge of how to deal with regular Fire Caste officers which Mesme could not match due to her history. Needless to say, Mesme found him incredibly useful.

"We have captured the Inquisitor," El'Ka said, "Do you wish to see him?"  
"Yes, thank you commander," Mesme replied, "Is my bodyguard present now?"  
"Yes, Shas'O," he replied, tilting his head slightly as if to ask why.

Mesme indicated for him to lead the way, which he did.  
They exited the warehouse into the large courtyard behind. The ground was layered with dust, that was kicked up by the activity in the yard.  
Large, dull grey walls surrounded the space, which was large enough for five Devilfish to land in comfortably. Two of the vehicles, sleek black with the orange markings of the Serra'shan'al, idled at the back of the compound, rear hatches open and facing the warehouse door. Inside them, Kroot were fidgeting and waiting for orders. Closer to the entrance, two black battlesuits stood like incredible statues, their pilots speaking with one another.

Mesme recognised one immediately.  
Kaishi, or "Skillful Victory", was her bodyguard and comrade from the very earliest days of her life.  
He was slightly taller than Mesme, which had always irked her in her childhood, and the general build of the male Fire Caste warrior. He was of the most noble blood, being directly related to several high ranking Fire Caste commanders, but he was not particularly proud of this fact. He had suffered from Ho'or-ata-t'chel when his battlesuit's head was taken off by a lascannon, and so was hospitalised as operations on Hephaestion began. Battlesuit technology, however mighty it made the warriors of the Tau Empire, had its drawbacks.

Mesme approached Kaishi, who noticed her and saluted as his fellow pilot did the same.  
She saluted back playfully, to El'Ka's amusement, and embraced Kaishi briefly before speaking.  
"Back already?" she asked, "I thought you would miss all the fun."  
"I didn't get to drop in from forty thousand tor'lek," Kaishi replied, "so as far as you're concerned, I already did miss the fun."

"Vre'Kaishi, go retrieve the prisoner!" El'ka ordered before the conversation could continue.  
"Yes, Shas'el!" Kaishi responded after waiting for a nod from Mesme.  
The pilots wandered off in the direction of the transports, as an uncomfortable silence drifted over their commanders.

"Your behaviour is strange around that one," El'ka said, breaking the silence, "You soften up in his presence."  
"Kaishi is the one person I have known since I was a child," Mesme replied, "I cannot help but be a child around him."  
"A word of advice, try to remain sharp in front of the troops," El'Ka continued, "You have a reputation to protect."

Mesme turned to El'Ka and found him grinning, which was something he did when he delivered advice to her.  
As such, she found it incredibly disarming. "Very well," she replied, clenching her jaw slightly, "It serves the Greater Good, I suppose."  
Such was the behaviour of the commanders away from their subordinates.

Kaishi returned with a tall gue'la and a squad of Fire Warriors.  
The Inquisitor was dressed in the standard imperial armour, with the added protection of the primitive shield technology the gue'la possessed.  
The seal of the Inquisition was dangling on a necklace, which Mesme grabbed and looked at closely.

"He certainly looks like an Inquisitor," she said, "But is he the right type?"  
"Why would any other kind of Inquisitor be here?" El'Ka asks, "Our reason for being here is secret."

"Not as much of a secret as you think," the Inquisitor replied in perfect Tau, to the disconcertment of everyone except Mesme.

* * *

Talan was much amused by the reaction of his captors to his knowledge of Tau language.  
He thought he might as well have a little fun, before he was deported to some Tau re-education camp or intelligence facility.

The commander, a Tau female, circled him as her colleagues recovered.

"So, you speak our language," she said, continuing to circle, "You are an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, correct?"  
She had said Inquisitor and Hereticus in Gothic.

Talan frowned to himself for a moment, almost disappointed that Tau intelligence had been unable to determine what section of the Inquisition he belonged to.  
"I'll take that as a no," the commander stated, apparently noticing the change in his body language, "And yet you are definitely an Inquisitor.."

"He must be Ordo Xenos," she said to her entourage, turning away from Talan, "Which means he is near useless for our purposes."  
"Why are you here?" Talan asked, "You do realise what the heretics are trying to do?"  
"Yes, which is precisely why we are here," the commander responded.

The pilot put his hand up to his ear, listening in to an earpiece.  
"Mesme, the gue'la are attacking in this direction with armour," he said.  
Talan immediately noted the commander's name.

"Prepare to pull out," Mesme ordered after a pause, "Send the stealth teams to delay the enemy."  
The alien then turned to Talan.

"Keep this one in cuffs and leave him here," she stated, "Rig the building to blow."  
The commander then began to walk away with her entourage.

"You think this world is yours?" Talan shouted at her, "The Imperium will send millions upon millions to stop you if you try and take this sector!"  
A statement of frustration, but he was about to be blown up, so Talan did not particularly care.

Mesme turned, grabbed Talan by the scruff of the neck, and brought his face to her eye level.  
"The Tau'va asks not how many there are, just where they are," the Shas'O said, "Your armies will join us sooner or later, gue'la."  
She then threw him to the ground, and left.


	7. Chapter 7

Talan pulled at his cuffs which were attached to a railing, as he looked around the empty warehouse. He had calmed down since the xenos left, and was determined to escape to warn his Hereticus colleague of the danger he now faced. It didn't take Talan long to realise that if they were looking for an Inquisitor, but not one of his order, then they must be after Inquisitor White. The information White possessed on the followers of the Dark Gods would be incredibly useful to the Tau Empire, particularly for its expansion into the Imperium.

The immediate problem, however, was that Talan was in a warehouse complex wired to blow up if anyone entered. He began to think on the issue. The Tau commander almost certainly would have allowed the information on his whereabouts to become known to Colonel Mieza, who would almost certainly act upon it. Unfortunately, she would have no way of knowing about the explosives, though she would probably assume it was an ambush. There was certainly enough explosives to cause some damage in the surrounded streets, but hardly enough to stop an armoured regiment. There was something a tad more strange however. The Tau had left his weapons and commbeads on a table at the other side of the room.

Talan hoped briefly that the Colonel would not personally lead the front elements, before suppressing it and pulling at the cuffs violently.  
The railing came loose from the wall slightly, and the Inquisitor grinned to himself. He began violent bursts of pulling, until his wrists started to bleed, but he was soon rewarded with the scent of concrete dust as the railing came out of wall entirely. First problem solved.

After retrieving his weapons, he stuck a commbead in his ear just as a loud explosion was heard outside and the distinct sound of Berdamian rock music got slowly louder.

"Oh frak," he said to himself out loud, realising that his lover's competency for military action might just get him killed by accident.  
He immediately searched out the command channel.

"This is Inquisitor Talan, to any Imperial forces in the city industrial sector," he said with as much authority as he could muster, "I am trapped in a warehouse rigged with explosives that will detonate if the building perimeter is breached. I do not know my exact position."

"Ferenz?" came the reply from the Colonel as lights on the explosives in the building began to blink.  
"Artemis, the place is going to blow!" he said, running around the space looking for some way out.

Static met his ears and he kicked the ground in frustration, removing the dust from the floor, revealing a manhole cover.  
Without the time to feel relieved, Talan brought his melta to bear and shot the cover off, and jumped down.  
He landed, just when an ear-shattering shockwave hit him. The warehouse was on a moon by now, but rubble blocked his entrance.

After a quick scout around the darkened tunnel which was the top layer of the city's underhive, he found another one that lead to the street, and Talan found himself emerging in the midst of the Colonel's Leman Russ tanks. Mieza was still on the command channel, a hint of panic clearly present in her voice.

"This is Inquisitor Talan, I escaped," he said quickly before the Colonel dispaired further, "Requesting a pickup."  
He then gave the unit designation of the unit he was nearby, which by now was staring at him out of various hatches.  
The command vehicle was soon pulling around the corner. Mieza had personally lead the attack, though that would have been dictated considering the importance of the mission. The rear hatch opened, and the Colonel stood looking very relieved in the space, with her command squad.

"Honey, we really have to do something about these neighbours," said Talan as he boarded the Chimera, finally calm.  
He collapsed into a seat, and took a sip of amasec from a small flask he had in a pocket.  
"Emperor save me, I needed that," he said as the Colonel sat down opposite him, the look of immense relief still plastered on her face.

"You worried me," she said after a few seconds, "I thought you were dead."  
"I'm sure the Inquisition would not have looked on my death as your fault," Talan said quickly, trying to place the other passengers' impressions in the right place. Artemis leaned in for a brief second.

"You know that's not what I was worried about," she said into his ear quietly.  
"Quite," he replied, as she returned to her seat, "What of the Tau?"

"They retreated as fast as they could," Mieza continued, "We hit them pretty hard."  
"Good to hear," said Talan, with particular relish at the second part of the statement. He wasn't in a tolerant mood.

"Where is Inquisitor White?" he added, remembering what he had discovered.  
"We do not know, he dropped to the surface with his entourage before anyone else," Mieza explained, "Only the Canoness knew where he went."  
"Knew?" Talan asked.  
"Yes, the Canoness was killed by the Tau commander," Artemis said slowly, "Along with the majority of her sisters."

"Frak me, this is turning into a real nightmare," Talan said after a pause.  
"Why do you need to know where Inquisitor White is?" the Colonel asked, not expecting an answer.  
"The Tau are looking for an Inquisitor," Talan stated, "An Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor."

"Why?" Mieza continued.  
"I can guess," Talan said after a short think, "But I have no solid idea."

"We need to find White," he ordered, "Contact the Blood Ravens and inform them they under my direct command now."  
"Yes sir," Mieza replied, regaining her usual air of professionalism.

* * *

"Shas'O, the gue'la are moving off to the east now," reported the Shas'vre as he hovered in his battlesuit, protected from detection by a stealth field generator.

"Excellent," the comms replied, "Follow the command vehicle and stay hidden."


	8. Chapter 8

The Chimera pulled into the Governor's residence after a long journey through the rubbled capital. Dropships and shuttles littered the once pretty gardens, as soldiers stood on guard at every defensible position around. Supplies were being taxied around on flatbed trucks, ready to be taken to the front lines where the Berdamian armour was fighting the good fight against the heretics. The compound had not been hit by the heretics due to the efforts of the remaining PDF troops, who had their loyalty rewarded by being stationed on defensive duties only. Whether or not one would consider that a sign of distrust or a gesture of mercy was up to the beholder. The driveway to the entrance of the main building was clear however, and the APC made quick time as it approached to deliver Inquisitor Talan and Colonel Mieza to their meeting.

The Governor's residential building was built in the style of Ultramar, with large marble columns rising to hold up the roof like a temple to the Emperor. Its wide facade boasted many large windows, and it stood on a large limestone foundation that raised it half a foot. On each corner of the roof, a bronze statue to one of the four original governors stood, holding a sword in one hand and a set of scales in the other. As the vehicle made its way, the front door came into view. It was a giant thing, the size of cathedral entrance almost, with fine varnished wood decorated with symbols and Gothic text in red paint.

The Chimera lurched to a halt beside the imposing doors, and the passengers disembarked. The Inquisitor brushed himself off, and took a last swig from his amasec flask before moving again. The Colonel followed him in after ordering her lieutenant to return to the Chimera to direct the continuing battle. The servants sprung into action nervously upon seeing the Seal of the Inquisition swinging casually around Talan's neck on a chain, and the massive doors swung open.

The entire entrance hall was covered with beautiful crimson carpet, so beautiful that most people walking upon it might just worry about their unclean boots touching the floor. Not that Talan had such scruples. The entire space was bustling with activity, as adepts and scribes went from one side to the other, on errands of one sort or the other. The residential guards fidgeted at their posts while pretending to observe the area. The reason why was apparent towards the back of the hall. The silent sentinels of the Imperium stood to attention, fully armed, under a massive statue to the Emperor. The staircases to the Governor's office curved around the hall like wings from the back of this giant, making the Blood Ravens tactical marines even more menacing to the inexperienced eye, as the light did not quite reach them fully.

Talan and Mieza ignored them, knowing that the Marine sergeant would be upstairs with the Governor, and so climbed up the stairs step by step, taking in the frescos and the warmth as they went. They reached what seemed to be a smaller version of the front door in shorter time than they might have liked, and Talan strolled into the office like he owned the place. Mieza soon followed after almost gasping at the sheer luxury of the room. To the left, a large fireplace was being put to good use, a large golden dog sleeping beside it. To the right, a bookshelf lined the entire wall, containing innumerable volumes of Imperial history as well as administrative records. Behind the Governor's desk, portraits of the former governors hung. The desk itself was covered with paper, and its occupant sat facing away from the new arrivals, unseen behind the back of the leather chair.

Near the dog, a fully armoured Space Marine stood, the Blood Ravens icon staring Talan and Mieza in the face.  
The soldier's head was shaven bald, and his bolter was slung over his shoulder, as if to emphasise his clear wish to leave and cap some enemies of the Emperor.

"Inquisitor, you are late," the Sergeant said impatiently, "I was hoping we could go hunt down the xenos far sooner."  
"There is a battle ongoing," Talan replied, aware of the sergeant's tone, "I can be forgiven for being late when heretics are chucking bullets at me."  
"We'll see how long that lasts," the governor interrupted, finally swivelling on his chair to face forward.

He was an old man, overweight but not massively so, with a short and tidy grey beard. He wore a governor's uniform that was slightly too tight for a man of his size, and a medal hung off his chest in clear view as if he had earned it. Colonel Mieza looked impressed, so Talan decided to cut the man down to size courtesy of the Inquisition. Talan quickly introduced the Colonel and received the name of the Sergeant in return.

"Governor Catiline, as much as my presence on your planet may annoy you, I clearly have work to do here," Talan started.  
"Work that will soon be finished," the Governor again interrupted.  
"Yes, we will deal with the heretics and xenos quickly," Talan continued, "We shall also swiftly discover who is responsible for complete incompetence in failing to find a major heretical cult, and in failing to track down xenoist infiltrators."

The Governor turned pale quickly, while Sergeant Lucius looked progressively more irritated.  
"However, onto the present," said Talan as he offered Artemis a seat, which she took, "The Tau are looking for Inquisitor White, and I need information."  
"What information," the Governor said as Talan took his seat, "We are not informed about the whereabouts of the agents of the Inquisition."  
"You should be aware of where this little revolt started however," the Colonel cut in, "Which is what we need to know."

"The exact position is not really determined," the Governor explained, "Nor would it really be helpful..."  
"I'll be the one making the judgments on what is useful here," Talan said, adding more hostility to his voice, "Particularly on the subject of personnel."  
"I will send for what we know straight away," said the Governor getting out of his chair and making his way to the door.  
"We better get it soon too," Talan continued, "Or Colonel Mieza here will be declared Governor-Militant and you'll spend the rest of your life on an asteroid penal colony."

The man left the room, and Talan grinned at Artemis as he got up from his chair and sat on the table edge instead.  
"That should get us the information," he declared, clearly pleased with himself.  
"It better," said Lucius, "There is a matter of vengeance for my blood brother."  
"Yes, Stavan was a great soldier," Talan replied, sobering slightly.

"It is fine, my troops will deal out plenty of revenge for your brother," Artemis said confidently, "If we can rescue White while we're at it, it's a bonus."  
"Indeed," said Talan, "I think I have scared the Governor enough to get the intelligence quickly."  
"I must see to my troops," said Lucius, leaving the room, "I will meet you outside when you have what we need."  
It was clear that the Space Marine did not like Talan, but luckily, it wasn't a necessary factor anyway.

The Colonel got up quickly and kissed the Inquisitor passionately for about a minute, before sitting down again.  
"What was that for?" Talan asked, a bit surprised but again pleased with himself.  
"Earlier," she said, "And in case I lose you today."

Talan rolled his eyes, and attempted to explain that his entire capability as an Inquisitor was based on his incredible good luck, until the Governor returned with the necessary documents.


	9. Chapter 9

Semerkhet wandered around the ex-Cathedral of Saints, as the cultists chanted before the desecrated statue of the Corpse God. The vaulted ceilings and massive stone pillars were covered with the dark symbols of Tzeentch, and the stain glass windows were smashed to pieces and replaced with purple cloth. The cultists themselves were clad in their usual garments, but sported deep purple armbands identifying them as slaves. The altar had been split in two, and the symbol of the Changer thrust into the crack, for all to see.

Semerkhet's satisfaction with this world was disappearing fast. When he came to the planet a decade earlier, he found a world corrupt and full of ambitious men to exploit and shape. The local Arbites were incompetent and the world had never before been invaded by an alien power. The world was far from any significant Imperial military forces due to the Tyranids presence elsewhere. In other words, it was a perfect place for a rogue Sorcerer such as himself to build a fiefdom.

Things had turned sour quickly. First of all, his cats-paws in the nearby system of Parmenion had fallen, without word on who or what was responsible for their downfall. Next, a Tau fleet appears in orbit overhead, and forces the cultists to reveal themselves or be slaughtered. To put the icing on the proverbial cake, an Imperial fleet soon lands an Armoured Regiment of the Imperial Guard, Space Marines and Sororitas. Hephaestion changed from a system ripe for the plucking into a nightmare for any Chaotic activity. Furthermore, the aliens seemed to be taking a greater than normal amount of interest in such activity, as the main brunt of the combat was not against the Imperials at this point.

As the Sorcerer paced, he pondered his next move. The summoning process had begun, but would take at least a day to complete to bring forth the minor daemons necessary to hold off the enemy. With the time bought, more forces and favour with Tzeentch could be bought in order to achieve victory.

The gates of the dark chapel swung open, and an ex-PDF soldier rushed in, clearly distraught.  
"They're here!" he screamed.

Semerkhet became irritated, and shot the offending man with his pistol. As the body dropped to the floor, figures were becoming visible through the black smoke outside and the purple and blue incense inside.

"Astartes" he said dryly, before calling for reinforcements. The hulking forms of nine Blood Ravens approached slowly, with another figure that Semerkhet assumed must have been an Inquisitor of some description. Behind them, Guardsmen followed far more cautiously.

"Attack," he said to his followers, who were far from earshot, but were well within range for psychic command. They did as they were ordered.  
The cultists immediately picked up scattered weapons and quite literally threw themselves at the Space Marines outside.

* * *

Inquisitor Ferenz Talan approached the cathedral slowly, the Blood Ravens spread out to either side of him. The outside of the building had been utterly desecrated with symbols and bodies. It had been remarkably easy to get to the centre of heretical resistance, which he had put down to Tau interference and Berdamian armoured might. Regardless, he needed to find Inquisitor White quickly, and this was the easiest way.

As that thought entered his mind, a hail of fire erupted from the entrance of the church, and was soon followed by a wave of fanatical heretics.  
The Blood Ravens immediately sprung into action. They continued to march forwards, pouring bolter fire onto the enemy. Where the heretics reached their lines, they dealt with the unarmoured humans with a rifle butt or a stomp with their heavily armoured boots. It did not go entirely the Imperials' way however. As the line came within ten yards of the doors, a heretic threw himself at the sergeant, and exploded. The force of the explosion knocked down Talan, but Lucius was far less lucky, and his large form fell backwards with a gaping bloody hole in his chest.

Talan recovered quickly, sweeping his melta over two heretics that were attempting to disembowel him with bayonets. He ordered the Blood Ravens into the cathedral and followed them in. Coughing through the incense, he waited near the entrance while his eyes adjusted to the darker list conditions. The inside was typical heretical decor, nothing he hadn't seen before. However, there was a clear purpose to the layout of the symbols and bodies; A summoning.  
Luckily, it was clear that the ritual was interrupted early.

There was a sharp crack, and the Sorcerer appeared before the altar. The Space Marines immediately opened fire to no effect, and ceased after about a minute.  
"Is that any way to welcome a brother?" Semerkhet said, his voice layered with hatred.  
"We are not your brothers, traitor," a Marine replied, and so began a rather inconsequential argument between the two that bought the Inquisitor time.

Talan continued to inspect the area to look for the secret of the Sorcerer's defences. His eyes fell on something far more disturbing.  
Upon the statue of the Emperor, Inquisitor White lay crucified, a massive spike pinning him by the chest to the stone, his hands folded on top of it and his face in an paused state of agony. Talan winced then turned away briefly. At least the Tau wouldn't be capturing him anytime soon.

"I see you're admiring my work," Semerkhet said, noticing Talan's discomfort, "He was a foolish one, thinking he could enter this holy place undetected."  
"He died in service to the Emperor, he will be rewarded," Talan said, unusually resorting to faith, "It is your soul that will be tormented for eternity."

The traitor cackled for a moment, and then with another deafening crack was gone.

* * *

Talan ordered the Blood Ravens to return to orbit, and continued to inspect the place for a moment as they left to proceed to their waiting shuttle.  
He climbed up the ruined statue of the Emperor, and removed the spike holding White to the rock. The body dropped and Talan landed with a thud beside it.  
Closing the man's eyes, he said a few words of peace as he knew White would appreciate them even if he didn't. Inquisitors do not exactly have a low risk job, so respect in death is a given even if respect in life isn't.

"Ferenz, the Tau are retreating," Artemis interrupted via his commbead, "I can't explain it, their forces are packing it in!"  
The Inquisitor didn't have time to ponder this when several Tau stealthsuits de-cloaked around him, one of the burst cannons barely two feet from his face.  
With his meltagun on his back, he had no choice other than to put up his hands.

The female Tau commander O'Mesme decloaked in front of him.  
"It appears both our objectives were ruined by the third party," she said in Tau, appearing to be far more kind than their last encounter.  
"As if you would have treated this man any differently once you were done with him," Talan replied dryly, trying to avoid provoking the alien.  
"On the contrary, we reward those who serve the Greater Good," she said in decent Gothic this time, "One way or another."  
"He would not have cooperated," Talan stated, "Nor will I."

"This world is yours for now gue'la," she said, returning to Tau, "Your knowledge would have been useful."  
"Then why aren't you taking me?" said Talan, surprised that he wasn't about to be hauled off.  
"It is more useful for the basic knowledge that we exist to spread amongst your elite," Mesme explained, "That we can drop out of the heavens and kill whom we like."

The aliens activated their stealth fields once again.

"Oh, and here is a present," said the commander's voice, its source invisible.  
The Sorcerer's head dropped to the floor about a metre in front of Talan, having materialised from nowhere.

* * *

Talan sat on the terrace of the Governor's residence, a full breakfast in front of him on a metalwork table and a beautiful woman beside him.  
The Colonel's company was something that he had become highly accustomed to in the two weeks since the death of White and the reclaiming of the Cathedral of Saints. There was still much work to do, as heretic pockets and cultists fought on desperately all over the planet. The capital however had been tamed.

The Inquisitor sipped his tea, admiring the view of the destroyed gardens with amusement.  
"Ferenz, why did the Tau want White so badly and yet not take you?" Artemis asked.

Talan turned to her, wondering about that very question as he had done many times since Semerkhet's head was delivered to him.  
"I know they told you that you were to spread word about them," said Artemis, seeming to take the look as some sign of annoyance, "But it doesn't make any sense."

The Inquisitor grinned. "I did tell you I was lucky," he said, having no other explanation to give.


End file.
